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t’s a boy! Tau Beta Sigma Vice President for Special Projects Lisa Croston and NAA Board Chairman Dale Croston are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, Jared Macdonald Croston (7 pounds, 12 ounces; 21 1/2 inches), at 11:06 p.m., Monday, March 5. Mother and baby are doing fine; father’s condition is unknown, but he is believed to be stable although dazed.
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enneth Crain (Iota Upsilon/ΚΚΨ) serves in the U.S. Navy as an operations specialist (soon to be a 3rd class petty officer) and is currently on a six month cruise aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Stump (DD978), out of Norfolk, Virginia. So far he has been to Spain and Greece and writes that “it has been fun to see the world.” He is now seeking an audition with the U.S. Navy Band. During his four years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, he majored in music and played in the “Pride of McNeese” Cowboy Marching Band, symphonic band, pep band, clarinet choir, chamber ensemble, and composed music. He joined ΚΚΨ in the fall of ’96 and served as chapter vice president in the fall of ’98. He also served as second tenor section leader in the Heritage Choral, and composed a serenade for four-part female voices for the Beta Chi chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. On his return he plans to write a symphony for band, dedicated to the fraternity and the founding fathers. His dream is to follow in the footsteps of Mozart, Barber, Debussy, and Hindemith.
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ary Janell Brown was Number 2 on the roster of the Beta Kappa Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, installed on May 17, 1967. She served as Chapter Vice President that first year (at Mississippi Southern College as it was known then.) She was one of the few female brass players in the marching band, playing tuba. Before her retirement, she was junior high band director for many years. Her daughter Emily Aycock first heard about Tau Beta Sigma at a ΤΒΣ reunion at Mississippi State Band Clinic when she was only a preschooler. She sometimes went to MidWest Band and Orchestra Clinic with her mother and met ΤΒΣ alumnae.
38—The PODIUM, Spring 2001
Emily of course attended USM and played French Horn in the “Pride of Mississippi” Marching Band. She naturally joined the Beta Kappa Chapter at the University of Southern Mississippi. And at her initiation ceremony, her mother pinned her own pin from 1957 on her. Emily said that she remembers feeling “full of pride” at that moment. How many more ΚΚΨ and ΤΒΣ legacies are there out somewhere, with their stories (and photos!) just waiting to be shared?
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want to encourage all brothers and sisters who are able to attend this year’s National Convention. Just by being there you are taking your chapter and personal involvement with our organizations to a higher level. Make the most of this opportunity to share ideas, get involved, and meet as many people as you can. A National Convention is a time to learn more about Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, strengthen your leadership skills, and take what you have learned back to your chapter. Use this experience to build the best possible organizations to support our bands and music. By doing our best to strengthen our university’s programs we impact the future of music programs at all levels Ask yourself some questions: How does your chapter make a difference outside your university’s program? How do we make a difference in the high school programs and community bands? What difference do we make to the world of music and the arts? The answer to all these questions is just by doing the best you can with the basic ideals of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma every day for the rest of your life. Share your respect for music with as many people as possible for as long as possible. The NAA hopes you will take advantage of the programs we offer to support both chapter projects and chapter representation. Soon the NAA will also be offering support for education in the form of scholarships. Our goal is to become an organization that both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma can rely on to insure their continued growth and success. Go back to your chapters and help us help you. Make sure your candidates are learning about the NAA. Get involved in your chapter’s alumni chapter, make a big deal over your members who are seniors, and, most of all, work hard to keep every member involved from their membership oath until their kids are in the chapter and beyond. That is how we will keep Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma strong and music in our schools. Dale Croston NAA Director
